Apparatus for manufacturing ice.



Patentgd lung 24,,l902.

s. NL-mTH. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTUBINGICE.

(Application filed Aug. 5. 1901 2 Sheets-Sheet I,

(No Model.)

m: "om-us vzrzns co.. nno-rauwa, WASHINGTON u. c.

No. 703,353. Patented June 24, I902.

S. N; SMITH.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ICE.

(Application filed Aug. 5. 1901 a (No Model.) ,2 Sheets$heet 2.

UiTD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SOMMERS N. SMITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF FORTY-NINE ONE-HUNDREDTHS TO FRANCIS B. MATTHEW'S, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING ICE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 703,353, dated June 24, 1902.

Application filed August 5, 1201. Serial No. 71,001. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SoMMERsN. SMITH, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Ice, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of ice by that class of machines in which the freezing takes place on the outer surface of a revolving cylinder or any other convenient form of vessel submerged in Water, which ice is removed from such cylinder or other vessel by means of a series of knives, cutters, or other approved devices, the object being to shave oif the ice in small pieces, so that it can be readily and more perfectly regealed in suitable compressing chambers. In machines of this character the great difficulty heretofore has been the conveying of the shaved ice from the tanks in which the freezing cylinders are submerged to the compressors.

The object of my invention is to provide a natural method of effecting the transfer of the particles of shaved ice to the compressionchamber.

In a companion application filed August 5, 1901, Serial No. 71,002, I have described and claimed the process of conveying or transferring the ice particles from thefreezing-tank to the compressor. My present invention relates to a form of apparatus for carrying this process into effect.

My invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a diagram View illustrating the plan of my improved apparatus for the manufacture of ice. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionalview of the freezing-tank, taken on the line a a, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View of the freezing-tank, taken on the line b b, Fig. 2; and Fig. lis a cross-sectional view of the receiving-tank, taken on the line 0 c, Fig. 2.

As clearly set forth in my process application, the. object of my invention is to effect the transfer of the ice particles from the freezing-tank to the compressor by causing a surface current to how through said freezingtank and overflow such ice particles over a suitable weir into a receiving-tank.

In the drawings herewith, 1 represents th freezing-tank, suitably mounted and containing one or more cylinders 2. These cylinders are mounted upon suitable shafts or spindles 3, journaled in bearings 4 outside the tank, which shafts are provided with stuifing-boxes 5, so that no leakage may occur. As noted, the cylinders 2 are rotated within the tank 1, and for this purpose Iprovide the gear-wheels 7 and 8, whereby both cylinders may be driven in unison, motion beingimparted by means of the pulley 9, mounted on one of the shafts 3. Water is introduced through the pipe 10, entering the freezing-tank at the bottom. Located within the tank and adapted to engage each of the r0- tating cylinders are fixed knives or scrapers 11 for cutting or shaving ofi the ice formed upon the said rotating cylinders. At the end of the freezing-tank Ilocate the receiving-tank 12, adapted to receive the water flowing over the weir 13, which carries with it the ice particles shaved off of the cylinders 2. The waterfor causing the surface current in the tank to carry off the ice particles is discharged through nozzles l t of the pipe 15, which leads from thepump 16. These nozzles are flattened and extend substantially the fullwidth of each compartment of the freezing-tank 1, such compartments being formed by the diaphragm or partition 17.

For the purpose of pressing the ice particles into blocks I provide the compressor 20,

located adjacent 'to the freezing-tank.

. To convey the shavedparticles of ice from' the receiving-tank 12, I provide a pipe 21,

leading from said tank to the compressor- This pipe has an upwardly-projecting nozzle 22, the open end of which is near the surface of water in the tank 12, and to effect the transfer of said ice particles from this tank to the compressor Ilemploy the pump 23, which is arranged in the line of pipe 21.

The constant discharge of ice and water into the tank 12 necessarily raises the height of the liquid therein, and for the purpose of controlling this height I arrange an outlet at 25, having a valve 26, which is controlled by too a'ball-float 27, located within the tank 12 This float is carried bya lever 28, pivoted on the edgeof the tank, the opposite end of which lever is connected, by means of a rod float off the particles of shaved ice. In order that no particles of ice may be carried oif through the discharge-opening 25, I provide a perforated plate 33 in the bottom of the tank 12, which plate. is located just above the. outlet 25. As the surplus water entering the tank 12. is conveyed back to the freezingtank 1, as just described, the quantity of water entering the pipe 10 will be just sufficient to compensate for the amount of ice particles discharged from said tank.

If desired, the conveying of the particles of ice from the freezing-tank to the receivingtank may be followed by the transfer of such particles to the compressing chamber orchambers by the action of gravity alone Without the use of a pump. To carry this operation into effect, the freezing-tank and receivingt'ank should be located some distance above the com pressing-chambers. As the ice parti cles will be carried into the compressing chamher or chambers by the simplepressure exerted by the head of water between the recei vi ng-tank and said compressing-chamber v and as such pressure is considerably less than that which could be obtained by the use of a pump to force the particles of ice into such com pression-chamber, a large quantity of wa-' ter will be present. In order that this excess ire quantity of water accompanying the ice particles may be accommodated, these chambers should be longer than usual, in order that they may contain in addition to thewater a sufficient accumulation of the ice particles to be pressed into blocks of normal or usual size.

In the form of gravity-transfer just proposed the superfluous water that is carried over with the shaved ice will be returned to the freezing-tank by a separate elevating-pump.

It is well known that all accumulations of loose ice or other .floatingsubstances on the surfaces of rivers are naturally removed by means of surface currents, and myimproved process of handling-the particles of ice follows this natural method, the apparatus forming the subject of this present invention being designed to take advantage of the same.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcut- 1. The combination inan apparatus of the character described, of the freezing-tank, iceforming means located within said tank, cutting means for removing the ice in small pieces which rise to the surface of the water within the freezing-tank, means for discharging a body of water into the freezing-tank at, and parallel to, the surface of liquid therein and means opposite said discharging means for permitting the overflow or withdrawal of water from the surface of the liquid in the tank whereby a surface current may be created and maintained that will pass'over' the entire surface of the liquid in the freezingtank to cause the ice particles to overflow, and a compressor arranged to receive said overflowing ice particles.

2. The combination in an apparatus of the character described, of the freezing-tank, iceforming means located within said tank, cutting means for removing the ice in small pieces which'rise to the surface of the water within the freezing-tank, means for discharging a body of water into the freezing-tank at, and parallel to, the surface of liquid therein and means opposite said discharging means for 'permitting the overflow or withdrawal of water from the surface of the liquid in the tank whereby a surface current may be created and maintained that will pass over the pieces which rise to the surface of the water,

within the freezing-tank, a receiving-tank,

means for discharging a body of'water into thefreezing-tankat, and parallel to the surface of liquid therein and means opposite said discharging means for permitting the overflow or withdrawal of water from the surface of the liquid in the tank whereby a surface current may be created and maintained that will pass over the entire surface of the liquid in the freezing-tank to cause the ice particles to overflow into the receiving-tank, a compressor,,and means for conveying the particles of ice from the receiving-tank to said compressor.

4. The combination in an apparatus of the I character described, of the freezing-tank, iceforming means located within said tank, cutting means for removing the ice in small pieces.

so that it may rise to the surface of the water in the tank in which it is formed, a receivingtank, means for discharging a body of water into the freezing-tank at, and parallel to, the surface of the liquid carrying the layer of ice particles and means opposite said discharging means for permitting the overflow or withconveying the ice from the receiving-tank to the compressor whereby the surplus water may be eliminated and the particles of ice pressed into solid blocks.

5. The combination in an apparatus of the characterdescribed, of the freezing-tank, iceforming means carried therein comprising a rotatable cylinder means for (lislodging the coating of ice formed on said cylinder thereby permitting it to rise to the top of the Water contained within the freezing-tank, a receiving-tank, a pump for discharging a supply of water into said freezing-tank, Whereby a surface current extending the full Width of said tank may be created and maintained to move the upper portion of the water carrying the ice particles and cause them to overflow into the receiving-tank, a pump for carrying the particles of ice from the receivingtank to the compressor, and a connection between the pump for creating a surface current and the receiving-tank whereby the surplus Water discharged into the latter may be utilized to create the surface current within the freezing-tank.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination ofthe freezing'tank, ice-forming means located therein, means for introducing a surface current of Water into said tank to carry off the particles of ice floating on the surface of the Water in the tank, a receiving tank into which said ice is discharged, a pump for creating the current in the freezing-tank, a pipe for carrying off the surplus water from the receiving-tank lead ing to said pump, a valved outlet leading to said pipe, and means for controlling said valved outlet by the height of water within the receiving-tank.

7. The combination in an apparatus of the character described, of the freezing-tank, rotating cylinders within said tank upon which a coating of ice is formed, means for rotating said' cylinders, scraping means carried in said tank for shaving the coating of ice from said cylinders, a receiving-tank, a pump for creating a surface current of water in the freezing-tank to carry off the particles of ice formed therein, a pipe leading from said pu mp having flattened discharge-nozzles leading to said tank, a compressor, a pipe leading from the receiving-tank to said compressor, a pump for carrying the particles of ice through said pipe to the compressor, a pipe leading from the receiving-tank to the current-producing pump, avalved outletleading to said pipe, means regulated by the amount of water in the receiving-tank for controlling the valve of said outlet, and a perforated plate located within said receiving-tank and serving to prevent the carrying off of any ice particles with the surplus water discharged from said receiving-tank.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

SOMMERS N. SMITH.

WVitnesses:

MURRAY 0. 130mm, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

